Problem signature terminal diagnosis method and system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for problem signature terminal diagnosis are disclosed. In an example embodiment, measured operational statistics of a satellite terminal of a peer group of satellite terminals are received and converted into normalized operation statistics. Normalized deviations of the operational statistics are determined and compared to the threshold deviations. A diagnosis zone corresponding to a problem signature is determined based on the normalized deviations by determining that coordinates of the normalized deviations are within the diagnosis zone, comparing a ratio based on the normalized deviations to a threshold ratio, or comparing a differential of the normalized deviations to a threshold differential. A satellite terminal is diagnosed with a problem defined by the problem signature based on the determined diagnosis zone.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application relates to the following co-pending patentapplications: “Terminal Diagnosis Self Correction Method and System,”filed on Jun. 28, 2012, and “Peer Group Diagnosis Detection Method andSystem,” filed on Jun. 28, 2012, the entire contents of each of whichare incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems typically include a plurality of userterminals that are used by customers or end users which transmit andreceive data from satellites and/or other antennas. For a satellitebased communication system, a satellite terminal is typically set up atthe user location by a service technician or installer. For example, auser's home may have a satellite dish installed for receiving internet,telephone, and television service, or the like. The satellite dish isinstalled with associated hardware, such as a transmitter, receiver,modem, router, set-top box, and the like. The service technicianconfigures the terminal for optimal use, for example, by correctlyorienting the satellite dish, configuring all settings appropriately,and testing the terminal to ensure it is working properly before leavingthe installation.

Typically, when a customer of a satellite communication system has aproblem with the service (e.g., service interruption, pixilation, slowinternet), the customer calls a customer service hotline and speaks witha customer service representative. The customer service representativemay attempt to diagnose the problem and determine if any repair isneeded, or determine that the service interruption is caused by weatherconditions or a regional service interruption. Statistical measurementdata from the satellite terminal may be obtained for analysis todetermine if there is a problem. A diagnostic tool may be used by thecustomer service representative, and using the customer's interactionwith the customer service representative and/or statistical measurementdata, an initial diagnosis me be determined. However, a diagnostic tooltypically provides an initial diagnosis which may lack specificityand/or certainty, which may lead to inefficiencies in repairs.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a new and innovative method and systemfor problem signature terminal diagnosis. In an example embodiment,measured operational statistics of a satellite terminal of a peer groupof satellite terminals are received and converted into normalizedoperation statistics. Normalized deviations of the operationalstatistics are determined and compared to the threshold deviations. Adiagnosis zone corresponding to a problem signature is determined basedon the normalized deviations by determining that coordinates of thenormalized deviations are within the diagnosis zone, comparing a ratiobased on the normalized deviations to a threshold ratio, or comparing adifferential of the normalized deviations to a threshold differential. Asatellite terminal is diagnosed with a problem defined by the problemsignature based on the determined diagnosis zone.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosed system, methods, andapparatus are described in, and will be apparent from, the followingDetailed Description and the Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram of an example satellitecommunication system, according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a high level block diagram of an example communication system,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of an example a computing device,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example peer group diagnosis detectionsystem, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 includes a flowchart illustrating an example process for peergroup diagnosis detection, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 includes a scatter diagram illustrating an example data set forpeer group diagnosis detection, according to an example embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 7 includes a flowchart illustrating an example process for problemsignature terminal diagnosis, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 includes a scatter diagram illustrating an example data set forproblem signature terminal diagnosis, according to an example embodimentof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

A high level block diagram of an example satellite communication system10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The illustrated system 10 includes asatellite 20 and satellite terminals 30, each including an antenna andassociated hardware (e.g., receiver, transmitter, modem, router,computing device). The satellite terminals 30 may transmit and receivedata to and from the satellite 20. Typically, a satellite 20 receivesdata from a hub terminal 40 which is distributed to many satelliteterminals 30. It should be appreciated that a satellite terminal 30 maycommunicate with one or more satellites 20. Similarly, a satellite 20may communicate with one or more hub terminals 40, and a hub terminal 40may communicate with one or more satellites 20. Typically, a satellite20 communicates with each satellite terminal 30 using an uplink channel51 and a downlink channel 52, and also communicates with a satellite hub40 using a downlink channel 53 and an uplink channel 54. The uplinkchannel 54 and downlink channel 52 may be referred to as a forwardchannel while the uplink channel 51 and downlink channel 53 may bereferred to as a return channel. It should be appreciated that theuplink channels 51, 54 and downlink channels 52, 53 typically eachoperate in different frequency bands and with totally independentcircuitry. Accordingly, for example, a satellite terminal 30 typicallymay transmit data on the uplink channel 51 at a first frequency andreceive data on the downlink channel 52 at a second frequency. For asatellite terminal 30, the performance of the uplink channel 51 and thedownlink channel 52 are typically both separately evaluated indetermining a site diagnosis, as uplink data and downlink data eachprovide insight into any problems which may exist for the satelliteterminal 30.

It should be appreciated that in order for a satellite 20 to communicatewith a satellite terminal 30, the satellite terminal 30 must beconfigured correctly with a proper line of sight to the satellite 20.The satellite communication system 10 may be operating in any broadbandnetwork, for example, the K_(a) band, the K_(u) band, the C band, or thelike. For example, satellite communication system 10 may be implementedon the SPACEWAY® and/or JUPITER™ platform. Accordingly, the system 10may provide satellite coverage over a smaller area or larger area, forexample, regional coverage may be dozens or hundreds of miles wide.Also, for example, the system 10 may provide continental coverage.

If the antenna alignment of the satellite terminal 30 is not within acertain tolerance, transmission and/or reception of data may degradeand/or fail. However, even with proper antenna alignment, a satelliteterminal 30 may have reception or transmission problems due toenvironmental issues such as inclement weather conditions. For example,rain fade is a common problem for certain frequency ranges (e.g., theK_(a) band). Also, other interference sources, such as structures whichmay block a satellite terminal's 30 line of sight, may impedecommunication. Further, problems with terminal components and/orsettings may cause signal degradation or failure. Components may fail ordegrade for a variety of reasons (e.g., physical structural damage,short circuit). In some cases, a particular satellite terminal 30 may beexperiencing multiple different problems simultaneously. Moreover, thereare many potential causes of suboptimal communication for a satelliteterminal 30, and it is often difficult to correctly diagnose thespecific problem or problems a satellite terminal 30 may need corrected.Accordingly, for an operator of a satellite communication system 10, itmay be highly advantageous to improve the accuracy of terminal diagnosiswhen a satellite terminal 30 is experiencing a problem with service.Also, it may be advantageous to detect a problem before a customernotices any interruption or decline in service quality.

It should be appreciated that satellite terminals 30, which may also beknown as user terminals, earth terminals, ground stations, antennasites, or the like, may be referred to in the present application simplyas terminals or sites. Similarly, the terms customer servicerepresentative, customer service agent, and service agent may be usedinterchangeably in the present disclosure. Likewise, installer, servicetechnician, repair technician, onsite technician and technician may beused interchangeably in the present disclosure. Also, customer, enduser, and user may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure.Further, it should be appreciated that, the present application mayprovide example embodiments relating to a satellite based communicationsystem 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, however, the present disclosure maybe similarly applicable to other wireless communication systems.

A high level block diagram of an example network communications system100 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The illustrated system 100 includes one ormore client devices 102, one or more host devices 104, and one or morecommunication channels 106 (e.g., satellite communication). In asatellite communication system 10, the communication channels 106include communication via the air interface between a hub terminal 40and a satellite 20, and the satellite 20 and a satellite terminal 30.Also, for example, the hub terminal 40 may communicate with a hostdevice 104 (e.g., content provider) and the satellite terminal 30 maycommunicate with a client device 102 (e.g., personal computer).Likewise, a hub terminal 40 and/or satellite terminal 30 may communicatewith devices and/or networks that are not satellite based systems or notwireless (e.g., a local area network).

The system 100 may include a variety of client devices 102, such asdesktop computers, televisions, and the like, which typically include adisplay 112, which is a user display for providing information to users114, and various interface elements as will be discussed in furtherdetail below. A client device 102 may be a mobile device 103, which maybe a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a personaldigital assistant, etc. The client devices 102 may communicate with thehost device 104 via a connection to one or more communications channels106 such as the Internet or some other data network, including, but notlimited to, any suitable wide area network or local area network. Itshould be appreciated that any of the devices described herein may bedirectly connected to each other instead of over a network. Typically,one or more servers 108 may be part of the network communications system100, and may communicate with host servers 104 and client devices 102.

One host device 104 may interact with a large number of users 114 at aplurality of different client devices 102. Accordingly, each host device104 is typically a high end computer with a large storage capacity, oneor more fast microprocessors, and one or more high speed networkconnections. Conversely, relative to a typical host device 104, eachtypical client device 102 may often include less storage capacity, asingle microprocessor, and a single network connection. It should beappreciated that a user 114 as described herein may include anycustomer, person, or entity which uses the presently disclosed systemand may include a wide variety of parties for both business use andpersonal use.

Typically, host devices 104 and servers 108 store one or more of aplurality of files, programs, databases, and/or web pages in one or morememories for use by the client devices 102, and/or other host devices104 or servers 108. A host device 104 or server 108 may be configuredaccording to its particular operating system, applications, memory,hardware, etc., and may provide various options for managing theexecution of the programs and applications, as well as variousadministrative tasks. A host device 104 or server may interact via oneor more networks with one or more other host devices 104 or servers 108,which may be operated independently. For example, host devices 104 andservers 108 operated by a separate and distinct entities may interacttogether according to some agreed upon protocol.

A detailed block diagram of the electrical systems of an examplecomputing device (e.g., a client device 102, a host device 104) isillustrated in FIG. 3. In this example, the computing device 102, 104includes a main unit 202 which preferably includes one or moreprocessors 204 electrically coupled by an address/data bus 206 to one ormore memory devices 208, other computer circuitry 210, and one or moreinterface circuits 212. The processor 204 may be any suitable processor,such as a microprocessor from the INTEL PENTIUM® family ofmicroprocessors. The memory 208 preferably includes volatile memory andnon-volatile memory. Preferably, the memory 208 stores a softwareprogram that interacts with the other devices in the system 100 asdescribed below. This program may be executed by the processor 204 inany suitable manner. In an example embodiment, memory 208 may be part ofa “cloud” such that cloud computing may be utilized by a computingdevices 102, 104. The memory 208 may also store digital data indicativeof documents, files, programs, web pages, etc. retrieved from acomputing device 102, 104 and/or loaded via an input device 214.

The interface circuit 212 may be implemented using any suitableinterface standard, such as an Ethernet interface and/or a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) interface. One or more input devices 214 may beconnected to the interface circuit 212 for entering data and commandsinto the main unit 202. For example, the input device 214 may be akeyboard, mouse, touch screen, remote control, track pad, track ball,isopoint, image sensor, character recognition, barcode scanner,microphone, and/or a speech or voice recognition system.

One or more displays 112, printers, speakers, and/or other outputdevices 216 may also be connected to the main unit 202 via the interfacecircuit 212. The display 112 may be a cathode ray tube (CRTs), a liquidcrystal display (LCD), or any other type of display. The display 112generates visual displays generated during operation of the computingdevice 102, 104. For example, the display 112 may provide a userinterface that may display one or more web pages received from acomputing device 102, 104. A user interface may typically includeprompts for human input from a user 114 including links, buttons, tabs,checkboxes, thumbnails, text fields, drop down boxes, etc., and mayprovide various outputs in response to the user inputs, such as text,still images, videos, audio, and animations.

One or more storage devices 218 may also be connected to the main unit202 via the interface circuit 212. For example, a hard drive, CD drive,DVD drive, and/or other storage devices may be connected to the mainunit 202. The storage devices 218 may store any type of data, such asimage data, video data, audio data, tag data, historical access or usagedata, statistical data, security data, etc., which may be used by thecomputing device 102, 104.

The computing device 102, 104 may also exchange data with other networkdevices 220 via a connection to communication channel 106. Networkdevices 220 may include one or more servers 226, which may be used tostore certain types of data, and particularly large volumes of datawhich may be stored in one or more data repository 222. A server 226 mayinclude any kind of data 224 including databases, programs, files,libraries, configuration data, index or tag data, historical access orusage data, statistical data, security data, etc. A server 226 may storeand operate various applications relating to receiving, transmitting,processing, and storing the large volumes of data. It should beappreciated that various configurations of one or more servers 226 maybe used to support and maintain the system 100. For example, servers 226may be operated by various different entities. Also, certain data may bestored in a client device 102 which is also stored on the server 226,either temporarily or permanently, for example in memory 208 or storagedevice 218. The network connection may be any type of networkconnection, for example, wireless connection, satellite connection,Bluetooth connection, Ethernet connection, digital subscriber line(DSL), telephone line, coaxial cable, etc.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example peer group diagnosis detectionsystem 400. The peer group diagnosis detection system 400 may include apeer group diagnostic information processing system 402, a satellite406, a plurality of terminals 406, and a peer group 408. The terminaldiagnostic information processing system 402 include satellite systemprofile information 410, a profile normalizing tool 412, an operationalstatistics normalizing tool 414, and a peer group diagnosis tool 416. Itshould be appreciated that the respective diagram blocks of FIG. 4 mayrepresent one or more physical devices for ease of understanding.

A peer group diagnosis detection information processing system 402 maybe used, for example, by a company that provides satellite services,such as television, internet, telephone, etc., to customers, includinghome use customers, commercial businesses, and the like. The peer groupdiagnosis detection information processing system 402 is used to detectproblem terminals 406 by diagnosing terminals 406 within a peer group408, for example, as good, degraded, or bad. The peer group diagnosisdetection information processing system 402 may be implemented at adiagnostic center. The satellite 404 may communicate with the peer groupdiagnosis detection information processing system 402 to provide datafrom terminals 406 in the peer group 408. The satellite 404 maycommunicate with the peer group diagnosis detection informationprocessing system 402 and terminals 406, for example, as discussedabove. It should be appreciated that many terminals 406 (e.g., hundredsor thousands) may be part of a peer group 408, and likewise, manysatellites 406 and/or peer groups 408 may be included in a peer groupdiagnosis detection system 400.

The peer group diagnosis detection information processing system 402 mayinclude a database, files, or the like with satellite system profileinformation 410. The satellite system profile information typicallyincludes satellite beam profiles, satellite terminal profiles, andvarious other information regarding satellites 404 and terminals 406.The satellite system profile information may be used to determine peergroups 408. A profile normalizing tool 412 may be used to normalize abaseline profile for a peer group 408. An operational statisticsnormalizing tool 414 may be used to normalize operational statistics(e.g., signal to noise ratio, symbol rate) which may be measured atterminals 406 of the peer group 408. A peer group diagnosis tool 416 isused to diagnose terminals 406 of the peer group 408 based on thenormalized operational statistics.

FIG. 5 includes a flowchart of an example process 500 for peer groupdiagnosis detection. Although the process 500 is described withreference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 5, it will be appreciatedthat many other methods of performing the acts associated with theprocess 500 may be used. For example, the order of many of the blocksmay be changed, many blocks may be intermittently repeated orcontinually performed, certain blocks may be combined with other blocks,and many of the blocks described are optional or may only becontingently performed.

The example process 500 may begin when a beam profile with a pluralityof satellite beam characteristics is determined (block 502). Forexample, a beam profile for a satellite beam may include characteristicssuch as carrier frequency, beam transmission power (e.g., EffectiveIsotropic Radiated Power or EIRP), the geolocation information on thebeam including the center point or common point, the size andattenuation pattern of the beam, antenna gain, signal to noise ratio,modulation type, bit rate, tolerances, etc. It should be appreciatedthat a satellite beam is not uniform as measured from the ground, andthat a common point generally located at the center of the beam may havethe maximum downlink gain and maximum uplink sensitivity. In an exampleembodiment, satellite beam may be part of a communication systemoperating in any broadband network, for example, using the K_(a) band onthe SPACEWAY® platform.

A peer group of satellite terminals is determined (block 504). Forexample, a peer group may include all the terminals using a particularbeam and transponder. Also, for example, if a beam has a large coveragearea, a peer group may include all of the terminals located within ablock defined by a certain upper and lower latitude and longitude. Itshould be appreciated that a peer group may be determined based on avariety of other factors, for example, geological structures, weatherpatterns, other boundaries, or the like. A peer group may typicallyinclude hundreds or thousands of terminals.

Terminal profiles with terminal characteristics for the satelliteterminals in the peer group are determined (block 506). For example, foreach terminal, the terminal characteristics may include all relevanthardware specifications and the geolocation coordinates (e.g., latitudeand longitude) and/or the location from the beam center (e.g., in radialground distance or radial angle from the beam center). Hardwarespecifications may include antenna type and size, a transmission power,an antenna gain, a signal to noise ratio, a symbol rate, and any otherspecifications relevant to the configuration of a terminal.

A normalized baseline profile including normalized terminalcharacteristics for the peer group is determined (block 508). Forexample, a normalized baseline profile may be determined as a specifichardware configuration at a specific location, such as at the beamcenter. For example, the hardware configuration may be a 1 watttransmitter, a 0.74 meter dish, a symbol rate of 256 ksps, etc. Itshould be appreciated that the normalized baseline profile may typicallyrepresent a common hardware configuration at the beam center. In anexample embodiment, at the center of the beam, a terminal may have anexpected uplink signal to noise ratio (Es/No) of approximately 15 dB andan expected downlink Es/No of approximately 22 dB. These expected Es/Novalues may represent an optimally configured terminal in optimalconditions. However, terminals located away from the beam center mayhave attenuated Es/No values under optimal conditions even whenoptimally configured. For example, an installing technician may set up aterminal with all the proper equipment, proper align the antenna, etc.,and if the terminal is near the edge of the satellite beam, the expectedEs/No values may be lower, and thus, more susceptible to serviceinterruptions from weather conditions or the like. Because the optimaloperational values (e.g., downlink Es/No) are different for terminalswith different hardware configurations and/or locations, a comparison ofoperational statistics between the different terminals is often oflimited value.

Operational statistics of the satellite terminals in the peer group aremeasured and received (block 510). For example, any or all uplink anddownlink statistics may be measured at the terminal, including any rawRF statistics or such as Es/No, G/T, transmission power, reception poweror other data statistics such as symbol rate, CRC error rates, latencyvalues, packet loss ratio, throughput speeds, or response times. Theoperational statistics may be continuously measured or intermittentlymeasured, for example, on a daily or hourly basis, or any other timeinterval. The measured operational statistics may then be transmitted ona regular basis to a remote location for peer group diagnosis detection,for example, hourly, daily, weekly, or on a continuous basis.

The measured operational statistics are converted into normalizedoperation statistics using the terminal profiles and the normalizedbaseline profile (block 512). For example, each of the measuredoperational statistics is adjusted to normalize each terminal to thenormalized baseline profile expected or measured operational statistics.In an example embodiment, converting the measured uplink and downlinksignal to noise ratios includes adjusting the measured values by addingan uplink normalization value and a downlink normalization valuespecific to each satellite terminal based on an antenna size, atransmission power, an antenna gain, and a distance from a satellitebeam center point. Accordingly, once the measured operational statisticsare converted into normalized operation statistics, the data representsa group of peer terminals that have the same equipment configuration andsame location. For example, if a transmitting power of a terminal isless than the transmitting power of the transmitting power of thenormalized baseline profile, a value to account for this difference maybe added to the uplink Es/No. Similarly, if a terminal is 50 miles fromthe center the satellite beam, a value accounting for this differencemay be added to the uplink and downlink Es/No. Thus, all the terminalsnormalized operation statistics should generally be the same, except forvariations due to varying cable lengths, equipment variations,measurement errors, and other various interference, which wouldtypically be relatively minor. Thus, when a terminal's normalizedoperation statistics deviate beyond the ordinary variation levels, aproblem is indicated.

Normalized peer group operational statistics are determined including amean and standard deviation of at least two of the normalizedoperational statistics (block 514). For example, the normalized peergroup operational statistics may have an uplink mean Es/No of 12 dB, adownlink mean of Es/No of 17.5 dB, with an uplink Es/No standarddeviation of 2, and a downlink Es/No standard deviation of 2.5. In anexample embodiment, a site count associated with the peer group isincluded with the normalized peer group operational statistics. Itshould be appreciated that the normalized peer group operationalstatistics may vary based on the particular communication system, thesatellite and terminals, the frequency band, the antenna types, andvarious other variables. It should be appreciated that determining peergroup operational statistics from the terminal normalized operationalstatistics may include outlier removal, or other manipulation forstatistical purposes. For example, any uplink or downlink signal tonoise ratio that has a deviation greater than 1.3 standard deviationsfrom the peer group mean may be removed from the data set to obtain arevised mean and standard deviation of the remaining terminals.Accordingly, any outliers may be removed to ensure that the normalizedpeer group operational statistics are representative of a normallyfunctioning terminal. Also, other operational statistics besides theuplink and downlink signal to noise ratio may be normalized for the peergroup in a similar fashion. For example, symbol rate, latency values,error rates, throughput speeds, signal strength, or any signal orperformance quality metric, may advantageously be used as normalizedpeer group operational statistics, alone, or in conjunction with otherstatistics.

A normalized deviation of at least two operational statistics isdetermined for each satellite terminal (block 516). For example, usingthe normalized peer group operational statistics, a normalized uplinkEs/No deviation and a normalized downlink Es/No deviation may bedetermined for each terminal in the peer group. For example, thenormalized uplink and downlink Es/No deviations of a given terminal maybe UL −0.6σ and DL −0.8σ. It should be appreciated that the normalizeddeviation may be expressed in units other than standard deviations (σ),for example, in decibels (dB). In this example embodiment, thenormalized deviations may be expressed, for example, as UL −1.2 dB andDL −20 dB instead of UL −0.6σ and DL −0.8σ. Other typical examples ofnormalized deviations for terminals in the example peer group may be asfollows: UL −1.5σ and DL −0.2σ; UL −2.1σ and DL +0.4σ; UL +1.2σ and DL−0.5σ; UL +0.3σ and DL +1.1σ.

The normalized deviations for each satellite terminal are compared to athreshold deviation (block 518). In an example embodiment, eachnormalized uplink and downlink deviation may be compared to a thresholdof −2.5σ. In an example embodiment, each normalized uplink and downlinkdeviation may be compared to a threshold of −4.0σ. It should beappreciated that a value of a threshold deviation may depend largely onthe communication system. Also, multiple threshold deviations may usedfor comparison for each normalized deviation of each terminal, or eachnormalized deviation may only be compared to a single thresholddeviation.

Each satellite terminal is diagnosed as good, degraded, or bad (block520). For example, when a terminal's normalized uplink and downlinkdeviations are above the threshold of −2.5σ, the terminal may bediagnosed as good or OK. When either of a terminal's normalized uplinkand downlink deviations is below the threshold of −4.0σ, the terminalmay be diagnosed as bad, and likely in need of service. When either of aterminal's normalized uplink and downlink deviations is below thethreshold of −2.5σ, and both of a terminal's normalized uplink anddownlink deviations are above the threshold of −4.0σ, the terminal isdiagnosed as degraded. As discussed below, FIG. 6 illustrates an examplescatter diagram illustrating such an exemplary diagnosis of terminals.It should be appreciated that the thresholds may be used todifferentiate varying degrees of problem severity, such as bydifferentiating between merely degraded terminals and bad terminals.Typically, for example, a bad terminal may provide significant serviceinterruptions while a degraded terminal may provide limited serviceinterruptions which may not even be noticeable to the customer or areduction in internet throughput speed and response times for both theuplink and downlink. However, the threshold(s) may be adjusted for eachcommunication system to provide a diagnosis as needed. For example, if aterminal is merely degraded, no action may be required, however, if thecustomer calls to complain about poor service, there is already dataconfirming that the service is not optimal and may be improved with aservice call to optimize the terminal. Also, for example, if a terminalis bad, the service provider may contact the customer and schedule anappointment to repair and optimize the terminal, which may improvecustomer relations. In an example embodiment, newly installed terminalsmay have their performance validated to ensure that installationtechnicians are properly installing terminals.

FIG. 6 includes a scatter diagram 600 illustrating an example data setof terminal deviations for peer group diagnosis detection. The scatterdiagram 600 plots the normalized deviations for the satellite terminalsof a peer group, with the x-axis representing the normalized uplinkdeviation and the y-axis representing the normalized downlink deviation,such that each data point illustrates the normalized uplink and downlinkdeviations for a satellite terminal. As discussed above, the thresholddeviations may be used to diagnose the terminals in the peer group asgood, degraded, or bad. FIG. 6 illustrates diagnosis zones 602, 604,606, which are presented on the two dimensional scatter diagram for easeof understanding. The deviation thresholds of −2.5σ and −4.0σ separatethe good zone 602, the degraded zone 604, and the bad zone 606.Accordingly, terminals which have normalized deviations falling in thegood zone 602 are diagnosed as good, terminals which have normalizeddeviations falling in the degraded zone 604 are diagnosed as degraded,and terminals which have normalized deviations falling in the bad zone602 are diagnosed as bad. It should be appreciated that using a scatterdiagram is not necessary to make a diagnosis, but FIG. 6 is informativein that it illustrates that the normalized deviations for the terminalsin the peer group may be advantageously compared regardless of hardwareconfiguration and location differences. Also, for example, using thenormalized deviations provides for improved performance when a rain fadeoccurs within the peer group. Generally, the entire peer group willexperience a signal degradation, so a properly working terminal will notshow any degradation relative to the peer group because the peer groupis being subjected to rain fade collectively, so there will typicallynot be any change in the normalized deviation.

FIG. 7 includes a flowchart of an example process 700 for problemsignature terminal diagnosis. Although the process 700 is described withreference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7, it will be appreciatedthat many other methods of performing the acts associated with theprocess 700 may be used. For example, the order of many of the blocksmay be changed, many blocks may be intermittently repeated orcontinually performed, certain blocks may be combined with other blocks,and many of the blocks described are optional or may only becontingently performed.

A diagnosis zone is determined based on a first normalized deviation anda second normalized deviation (block 702). For example, an alignmentproblem diagnosis zone may correspond to a data point for a particularterminal including a normalized uplink Es/No deviation and a normalizeddownlink Es/No deviation. Other normalized deviations for differentoperational statistics, such as uplink error rate and downlink errorrate, or latency and throughput, may be used instead of or in additionto Es/No deviations. A wide variety of diagnosis zones indicative ofproblems may be determined depending upon the operational statistics forwhich the normalized deviations are provided. It should be appreciatedthat a diagnosis zone may not differentiate between degraded and bad,such that each problem may only be subject to a binary diagnosis that aproblem does or does not exist. Also, a diagnosis zone with three ormore dimensions may be provided using a third normalized deviation for adifferent operational statistic, and so forth. One or more of thefollowing blocks 704, 706, and 708 may be used to determine thediagnosis zone.

Coordinates of the first normalized deviation and the second normalizeddeviation are determined to be within the diagnosis zone (block 704).For example, a terminal having an the data coordinates of uplinkdeviation of −5σ and downlink deviation of −4σ may fall within thebounds of the alignment problem diagnosis zone, as seen in FIG. 8,discussed below. A ratio of the first normalized deviation to the secondnormalized deviation is compared to a threshold ratio (block 706). Forexample, a terminal having an uplink deviation to downlink deviationratio of approximately 1 may correspond to the alignment problemdiagnosis zone. For example, a range of deviation ratios (e.g.,0.6<UL/DL<1.7) may be compared to a terminal's uplink to downlink ratioto determine the alignment problem diagnosis zone. Similarly, adeviation ratio of UL/DL above 1.8 may correspond to the transmitterproblem diagnosis zone. Also, a differential of the first normalizeddeviation and the second normalized deviation is compared to a thresholddifferential (block 708). For example, a terminal having an uplinkdeviation which is greater than the downlink deviation by a differentialgreater than a certain threshold may correspond to the receiver problemdiagnosis zone.

A satellite terminal is diagnosed with a problem defined by a problemsignature that corresponds to the determined diagnosis zone (block 710).For example, a terminal is diagnosed as having bad alignment based ondetermining the bad alignment diagnosis zone through one or more ofblocks 704, 706, and 708 to meet the problem signature for badalignment. In an example embodiment, a problem signature is associatedwith multiple diagnosis zones based on normalized deviations ofdifferent operational statistics. Also, a diagnosis zone may beassociated with multiple distinct problem signatures. Accordingly, itshould be appreciated that a problem signature library may includemultiple problem signatures. In an example embodiment, a problemsignature may include a timing element. For example, a problem signaturefor water leakage into a radio may determine a diagnosis zone at a firsttime, and determine a diagnosis zone at a later time. Then, based on aprogression from one diagnosis zone to another over time, the problemsignature for water leakage may correspond to the diagnosis zonesdetermined over time. It should be appreciated that when a problem isuncertain, monitoring the problem over time may provide further insight,and allow for a high degree of confidence in determining one problemsignature over another for a particular terminal.

Also, a level of confidence in a diagnosis may be provided based on thecoordinates location within the diagnosis zone. For example, a datapoint near the edge of a diagnosis zone may be diagnosed with lessconfidence than a data point far from the edge of the diagnosis zone.Also, one or more ratios may be used to provide a confidence level. Forexample, a deviation ratio of UL/DL above 3.0 may be diagnosed as atransmitter problem with a high degree of confidence. Likewise, adifferential may be used for determining a confidence level in adiagnosis. It should be appreciated that the specific manner ofdetermining a diagnosis zone may be different when the normalizeddeviations of different operational statistics are used for determiningdiagnosis zones. Once a problem signature is determined based on thediagnosis zone(s) and any other relevant information, the diagnosedproblem may be fixed. Having a specific diagnosis may often allow forefficient repair the problem, for example, when a repair technicianreplaces a single component which is determined to be defective oradjusts a part or setting without any component replacement. Afterrepairing the problem, the normalized deviation data used to diagnosethe problem may be reviewed to validate that the problem is fixed. Forexample, reviewing the normalized uplink and downlink deviations of aterminal with poor alignment may show a gradual decrease over time inboth the uplink and downlink deviations. However, after a repairtechnician repeaks or repoints the antenna, the uplink and downlinkdeviations may improve to within the normal range indicating that theproblem has been fixed.

FIG. 8 includes a scatter diagram 800 illustrating an example data setof terminal deviations for problem signature terminal diagnosis. Thescatter diagram 800 plots the normalized deviations for the satelliteterminals of a peer group, with the x-axis representing the normalizeduplink deviation and the y-axis representing the normalized downlinkdeviation, such that each data point illustrates the normalized uplinkand downlink deviations for a satellite terminal. As discussed aboveregarding FIG. 6, the threshold deviations may be used to diagnose theterminals in the peer group as good, degraded, or bad. Further, thethreshold deviations may be used to diagnose the terminals in the peergroup as having a problem, for example, relating to a transmitter (Tx),a receiver (Rx), or an alignment issue. FIG. 8 illustrates problemdiagnosis zones 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, 812 which are presented on thetwo dimensional scatter diagram for ease of understanding. The deviationthresholds of −1.5σ, −2.5σ, and −4.0σ bound the degraded transmitterzone 802, the bad transmitter zone 804, the degraded alignment zone 806,the bad alignment zone 808, the degraded receiver zone 810, and the badreceiver zone 812. Accordingly, terminals which have normalizeddeviations in diagnosis zones 802 or 804 are diagnosed as having atransmitter problem, terminals which have normalized deviations indiagnosis zones 806 or 808 are diagnosed as having an alignment problem,and terminals which have normalized deviations in diagnosis zones 810 or812 are diagnosed as having a receiver problem. In the exampleembodiment of FIG. 8, the deviation thresholds of −2.5σ and −4.0σ aresimilarly provided as discussed above regarding FIG. 6, and thedeviation thresholds of −1.5σ bound the alignment problem diagnosiszones 806, 808 between the problem transmitter zones 802, 804 and theproblem receiver zones 810, 812.

As discussed above, it should be appreciated that using a scatterdiagram is not necessary to make a diagnosis, but FIG. 8 is informativein that it illustrates that the normalized deviations for the terminalsin the peer group may be located squarely within a diagnosis zone ornear the edge of a diagnosis zone. For example, a dotted correlationline 814 illustrates a correlation between the plotted uplink anddownlink deviations. The correlation line 814 runs through the center ofthe alignment problem diagnosis zones 806, 808. A high correlationbetween uplink deviation and downlink deviation (i.e., near the dottedline) indicates that a common component (e.g., antenna) has a problem,because both the uplink signal and the downlink signal are affected. Analignment problem is a typical example of a problem when the uplink anddownlink deviation is highly correlated, but other common components cancause problems with both the uplink and downlink signals. Commoncomponents may include antenna alignment, the antenna dish, cabling, thefeedhorn, etc. Accordingly, the terminals having data points provided inthe degraded alignment zone 806 or bad alignment zone 808 may notactually have a problem with alignment, for example, when a differentproblem associated with a common component is present. For example, ifthe line of sight is partially blocked, the transmission and thereception of data are both affected, with the negative uplink anddownlink deviations in the alignment problem diagnosis zones 806, 808.Accordingly, for example, problem signatures may use the diagnosis zonesprovided in FIG. 8 in conjunction with other diagnosis zones todistinguish various problems which may have certain symptoms in common,or have shared diagnosis zones.

By using a normalized deviation of multiple different operationalstatistics, associations of correlation may provide a wide range ofinsight that may indicate or exclude certain problems from diagnosis,based on diagnosis zones, such as those illustrated in FIG. 8, based onratios or correlations such as correlation line 814, and/or based ondifferentials between normalized deviations of operational statistics. Acorrelation or ratio may shed light on the nature of the problem basedon the relationship between normalized deviations. For example,terminals with positions near the diagonal dotted line 814 are the mostcorrelated and as the positions deviate from this diagonal line, thecorrelation decreases. Problem sites with a high correlation indicate aproblem with the common elements of the terminal, for example, antenna,installation alignment, common broadcast and receive assemblies. On theother hand, sites exhibiting little or no correlation, or independence,indicate problems with either the receive subsystem or the transmitsubsystem depending on the whether uplink or downlink deviation iscomparatively large. Transmitter problem sites are associated with ahigh uplink to downlink deviation ratio, while receiver problem sitesare associated with high downlink to uplink deviation ratio.

As noted above, various problematic conditions other than transmitter,alignment, and receiver problems may be determined using a twodimensional normalized deviation chart as shown in FIG. 8. For example,problems such as water ingress into the receiver, line of sight issues,and various alignment type issues may be determined using diagnosiszones as described above. Accordingly, in an example embodiment,normalizing multivariate performance measurements may allow forindependent or disjointed metrics to be compared to each other,correlated, and causality may be deduced, if present. For example,operational statistics other than uplink and downlink Es/No which may beused to provide a two dimensional or higher dimensional normalizeddeviation chart similar to FIG. 8 include latency and throughput.

In an example embodiment, a three dimensional normalized deviation chartmay be employed. For example, a normalized downlink Es/No may be plottedon a first axis (e.g., x-axis), a normalized latency deviation may beplotted on a second axis (e.g., y-axis), and a normalized throughputdeviation may be plotted on a third axis (e.g., z-axis). The normalizedlatency deviation and the normalized throughput deviation may bemeasured with respect to both uplink and downlink. Diagnosis zones maybe provided in three dimensions similarly to those discussed above andillustrated in two dimensions. In an example embodiment, thresholds fornormalized latency deviation, normalized throughput deviation, andnormalized downlink Es/No deviation may be −4.0σ, or any other suitablevalue for each specific normalized deviation dimension. If any of thethree normalized deviations are beyond the threshold, it may bedetermined that a problem exists, and a diagnosis zone may bedetermined.

In an example embodiment, three different two dimensional correlationvalues may be determined, as well as a three dimensional correlationvalue for all three normalized deviations. When all three normalizeddeviations are relatively uncorrelated, and one normalized deviationexceeds its threshold, the diagnosis may be determined based on thenormalized deviation which exceeds the threshold. For example, when thenormalized latency deviation is below −4.0σ, and the normalizedthroughput deviation and the normalized downlink Es/No deviation areboth not below the threshold, the diagnosis may be that the terminal ismisconfigured. Similarly, when the normalized throughput deviation isbelow −4.0σ, the normalized throughput deviation and the normalizeddownlink Es/No deviation are both not below the threshold, the diagnosismay be that the channel is experiencing user overload. When thenormalized downlink Es/No deviation is below −4.0σ, the normalizedthroughput deviation and the normalized latency deviation are both notbelow the threshold, the diagnosis may be that the there is an alignmentproblem. For example, in a scenario when all three normalized deviationsare beyond the threshold and highly correlated (e.g., normalizeddeviation values of −5.1σ, −4.5σ, −4.8σ), the high latency and lowthroughput may be caused by the poor downlink signal quality.

Further information may be gleaned from assessing the relationshipbetween normalized deviations in two dimensions. For example, a twodimensional correlation may be found to exist when a ratio of, forexample, 0.7 to 1 exists between one normalized deviation and adifferent normalized deviation that exceeds the threshold. For example,a latency/signal quality correlation greater than 0.7 (e.g., normalizeddeviation values of −3.8σ and −5.2σ) may indicate that latency is beingimpacted by a poor signal quality, which may indicate a buffer overloadat the terminal. Similarly, throughput/signal quality correlationgreater than 0.7 may indicate a high packet loss rate due to poor signalquality. A throughput/latency correlation greater than 0.7 may indicatea high packet loss rate that is not related to low signal quality. Itshould be appreciated that diagnosis zones or multi-dimensionaldiagnosis spaces may be determined in a similar fashion as discussedabove regarding FIG. 8, and that the present examples are providedmerely for descriptive purposes of an example system using threedimensional normalized deviation diagnosis. The present embodiment isnot limited to three dimensions, and for example, a normalized uplinkEs/No may be further provided in a fourth dimension. Moreover, it shouldbe appreciated that three dimensional, four dimensional, or any greaterdimension, analysis need not be provided in a manner suitable for visualanalysis, particularly for higher dimension applications.

As discussed above, each diagnosis may include one or more diagnosiszones, including in some instances a multivariate diagnosis zone and/ora timing aspect. In an example embodiment, a problem signature may beprovided for an antenna blockage, a problem antenna dish, or waterleakage into the receiver/transmitter. Moreover, a problem signature maybe defined with multiple independent diagnosis zones using variousdifferent operational statistics.

Accordingly, the presently disclosed methods and systems mayadvantageously detect and diagnose a specific problem before a customernotices any decline in service, thus improving customer servicerelations. For example, when a service performance issue arises, ratherthan sending a repair technician to a site blind, the diagnosisinformation may be provided to the technician prior to performing anywork. Such information may advantageously minimize the return ofnon-faulty equipment that might normally be replaced needlessly. Also,early detection of systemic equipment problems may be found usingmultivariable normalization and correlating deviations to determinecausality. Further, the presently disclosed methods and systems mayvalidate good installations of satellite terminals and minimize repairvisits. It should be appreciated that, for example, the rate ofunnecessary repair visits may be reduced to less than 0.01% of allrepair visits. Accordingly, a great reduction in costs and improvementin customer service may be achieved using the presently disclosedproblem signature terminal diagnosis method and system.

For exemplary purposes, the present disclosure discusses a variousexamples relating to a satellite communication system. However, itshould be appreciated that the disclosed system, methods, and apparatusmay be advantageously used in various different types of communicationsystems including, for example, systems that do not use satellites(e.g., a terrestrial point to point communication system).

It will be appreciated that all of the disclosed methods and proceduresdescribed herein can be implemented using one or more computer programsor components. These components may be provided as a series of computerinstructions on any conventional computer readable medium, includingRAM, ROM, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks, optical memory, orother storage media. The instructions may be configured to be executedby a processor, which when executing the series of computer instructionsperforms or facilitates the performance of all or part of the disclosedmethods and procedures.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to theexample embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilledin the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and withoutdiminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that suchchanges and modifications be covered by the appended claims. Also, itshould be appreciated that the features of the dependent claims may beembodied in the systems, methods, and apparatus of each of theindependent claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:
 1. A method comprising: receivingoperational statistics of a satellite terminal of a peer group ofsatellite terminals, the operational statistics including a firstmeasured operational statistic for a first parameter of the satelliteterminal and a second measured operational statistic for a secondparameter of the satellite terminal; converting the first measuredoperational statistic into a first normalized operation statistic thatis normalized to the peer group; converting the second measuredoperational statistic into a second normalized operation statistic thatis normalized to the peer group; determining a first normalizeddeviation of the first normalized operational statistics; determining asecond normalized deviation of the second normalized operationalstatistics; comparing the first normalized deviation to at least a firstthreshold deviation; comparing the second normalized deviation to atleast a second threshold deviation; and determining a first diagnosiszone based on the first normalized deviation and the second normalizeddeviation, the first diagnosis zone corresponding to a problemsignature, wherein determining the first diagnosis zone includes atleast one of: (i) determining that coordinates of the first normalizeddeviation and the second normalized deviation are within the firstdiagnosis zone; (ii) comparing a ratio based on the first normalizeddeviation and the second normalized deviation to a threshold ratio; and(iii) comparing a differential of the first normalized deviation and thesecond normalized deviation to a threshold differential; and diagnosingthe satellite terminal with a problem defined by the problem signaturebased on the determined first diagnosis zone.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the first normalized deviation and the second normalizeddeviation are plotted on a two dimensional diagram having a plurality ofdiagnosis zones for visual interpretation.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein a plurality of problem signatures are stored in a problemsignature library.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first diagnosiszone is represented in two dimensions corresponding to the first andsecond normalized deviations.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst diagnosis zone is represented in at least three dimensionscorresponding to at least three normalized deviations.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the problem signature includes the first diagnosis zoneand a second diagnosis zone which corresponds to operation statisticsdifferent from the first measured operational statistic and the secondmeasured operational statistic.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinoperational statistics include at least a reception power, atransmission power, an uplink signal to noise ratio, a downlink signalto noise ratio, an uplink error rate, a downlink error rate, athroughput value, and a latency value.
 8. The method of claim 1, theproblem is diagnosed as one of degraded and bad.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein diagnosing the satellite terminal includes indicating a levelof confidence of the diagnosed problem.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the first normalized deviation is an uplink signal to noiseratio and the second normalized deviation is a downlink signal to noiseratio.
 11. A system comprising: a non-transitory computer readablemedium storing satellite profile information; and at least oneprocessing device operably coupled to the non-transitory computerreadable medium, the at least one processing device executinginstructions to: receive operational statistics of a satellite terminalof a peer group of satellite terminals, the operational statisticsincluding a first measured operational statistic for a first parameterof the satellite terminal and a second measured operational statisticfor a second parameter of the satellite terminal; convert the firstmeasured operational statistic into a first normalized operationstatistic that is normalized to the peer group; convert the secondmeasured operational statistic into a second normalized operationstatistic that is normalized to the peer group; determine a firstnormalized deviation of the first normalized operational statistics;determine a second normalized deviation of the second normalizedoperational statistics; compare the first normalized deviation to atleast a first threshold deviation; compare the second normalizeddeviation to at least a second threshold deviation; and determine afirst diagnosis zone based on the first normalized deviation and thesecond normalized deviation, the first diagnosis zone corresponding to aproblem signature, wherein determining the first diagnosis zone includesat least one of: (i) determining that coordinates of the firstnormalized deviation and the second normalized deviation are within thefirst diagnosis zone; (ii) comparing a ratio based on the firstnormalized deviation and the second normalized deviation to a thresholdratio; and (iii) comparing a differential of the first normalizeddeviation and the second normalized deviation to a thresholddifferential; and diagnose the satellite terminal with a problem definedby the problem signature based on the determined first diagnosis zone.12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first normalized deviation andthe second normalized deviation are plotted on a two dimensional diagramhaving a plurality of diagnosis zones for visual interpretation.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein a plurality of problem signatures are storedin a problem signature library.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein thefirst diagnosis zone is represented in two dimensions corresponding tothe first and second normalized deviations.
 15. The system of claim 11,wherein the first diagnosis zone is represented in at least threedimensions corresponding to at least three normalized deviations. 16.The system of claim 11, wherein the problem signature includes the firstdiagnosis zone and a second diagnosis zone which corresponds tooperation statistics different from the first measured operationalstatistic and the second measured operational statistic.
 17. The systemof claim 11, wherein operational statistics include at least a receptionpower, a transmission power, an uplink signal to noise ratio, a downlinksignal to noise ratio, an uplink error rate, a downlink error rate, athroughput value, and a latency value.
 18. The system of claim 11, theproblem is diagnosed as one of degraded and bad.
 19. The system of claim11, wherein diagnosing the satellite terminal includes indicating alevel of confidence of the diagnosed problem.
 20. The system of claim11, wherein the first normalized deviation is an uplink signal to noiseratio and the second normalized deviation is a downlink signal to noiseratio.